The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-01-07
PERSIAN justice.


sie-ers Of an Enslishman.
O. tire side of the high road to Shiraz.
thirty miles before the city is reached.
going north. stands u bare pole. This
marks the place where the body OF Ser
geant Collins was found after his MUIR
der.
Sergeant Collins WAS an inspector of
the telegraph line. q man of great per-
sonal bravery. Accompanied by hiz
wife. two servants and two muieteers,
he started on his inspection duty. Col
Inns was hardly convalescent from fe-
yer attack when he started. and he had
no choice in travelling but to lie on =
mattress flung on :, loaded mule.
At early dawn one day u muleteer
suddenly cried: '.Sahib, they have
blocked the road and. looking ahead,
the sergeant saw some men in front
who were covering him with their guns.
At the same moment these men or
dered him to Gismount. Now, the SER
geant was the best shot in Persia. 'Be
off, he shouted. firing his revolver
twice. The robbers rushed in. firing as
they came, and Collins was hit in two
places, death being instantaneous.
After beating the lifeless body with
their iron-headed sticks. the robbers
blindfolded and carried off the wife and
two servants. OBTAINING them in q dell
until after midnight.
tbn Of 10
English Minister ut Teheren the Per-
sian authorities arrested the three prin-
cipal robbers. Another of them COM
mitted suicide to avoid capture; another
parently inflicted by Collins. But the
Persian authorities. though they had
got the criminals in Jail. seemed very
10th to bring them to justice. But at
length Mira Hassan Ali Khan. c. S.
I. our agent at Shiraz. succeeded in
coating the Prince Governor. H. r. H.
Zil-es-Sultan. into trying the prisoners.
The proceedings were very curious.
There was no doubt Of the guilt of the
men. but there were no witnesses of the
murder. The sergeant was dead; his
wife and his two servants had been
frightened cut Of their wits. and the
muleteer declared that he could remem.
Der nothing. The Zil-es-Sultan. finding
that the English Minister would no,
remain satisfied. ordered the robbers tc
be brought before him. The Prince
Governor himself embodied the law
Hall dozen courtiers leaned agains,
the wall. their arms respectfully crossed
upon their breasts. Seated on a silk
mattress in the corner Of the room. his
back supported by gold-embroiderec
cushions. the young Prince twiddlec
his mustache. or played with the jewel.
ed hilt of his saber. or toyed with the
buckle of priceless brilliants which
formed the central ornament of his plair
leather waist belt.
The three men were dressed as peas
ants usually are. in tall felt caps anG
long felt coats. When they were hustled
into the hall of audience they were still
heavily ironcd. for these men are Otter
desperate criminals, and would not hes.
itate for moment to murder their Jail.
ers if they thought they would thereby
secure chance of escape. On enter.
ing the royal presence they bow almost
to the ground. ''Salaam!' they shout
in a kind of chorus; your villager OIL
tradesman never speaks-he always
shouts. How do you like PRISON.?
says the Prince. noddins to them with
a smile. In reply the bandits assert
their innocence, calling at every SEN
tence upon Heaven and the Prophet.
"Are we not harmless tradesmcn. we
who live in your Royal Highness
shadow May we be your sacrifice?'
The Prince still smiles blandly. "Ah.
my friends" says he. II. too. am a
Mussulman. We are all Mussulmans
here; and-aud. in fact-an unbeliaver
more or less doesn't much matter. You
have truly done good deed. l shall
not really punish you. but reward you.
That you killed the Feringhi there is,
of course. no doubt; and SO 1 must pun
ish You nominally. What 1 propose to
do is to cut off joint of one finger of
each of you. But what is that? Moth
ing. Your dresses of honor are ready.
You will put them on and will be in
stantly liberated. And now. my chill
dren." says the smiling Prince. .'tell
me all about it. How did you manage
it. ehs''
The astonished prisoners received
this speech with Il burst of joy. All
shouting 1T once they fastened to give
the Prince full particulars. 1.-The Eu-
ropean fired twice from one pistol
may we be your sacrifice!-and then
We all fred together, rushing in on
him. He was but European-may
rour shadow never be less! We trust |
N the elemency of your Royal High
ness! May we be your sacrificed
The smile faded from the face of the
roung Prince-Governor. his likeness to
he Shah. his father, becoming very
apparent as his countenance darkened
nto ferocity. He had got at the truth,
md without more ado nodded with ap-
significance to his chief Of
police. the Farrashbashi, burly, black
bearded man who stood behind the
criminals The prisoners were re-
moved; they were hurried into the pub
ic square. in which the palace stands,
md their threats were cut. The bodies
ay exposed till sunset. terror to evil
loers.
A red granite tablet in one of the
christian churches ut Julia. subscribed
or by the enpineer officers and nom